Jupe Jupe – Crooked Kisses (Warner Music)

Jupe+Jupe+-+Crooked+Kisses+%28Warner+Music%29

Barbara Martinez

British new-wave heartbreak

Your tearful pint of Ben and Jerry‰’s has nothing on this album. This synthpop Seattle band makes mourning as upbeat as anyone can possibly manage. Most of the album stays pretty dark and lamenting, using synth and depressing Robert Smith-esque vocals to remind you that we all die alone (though notably, the album ends with a happier sounding “New Stars in the Sky.‰Û) The combination of the two provides listeners with grooving waves of sound that bob along to the sound of souls dying. Bass drum and muted snare keep the percussion low-key, but with expertise rhythmic choices to assure no one gets lost in the flowing sea of vocals and synth, providing the highest form of pep to the album. The combination of driving drumset, haunting melodies, and sharp hooks make this album a good mellow soundtrack, but the lyrics hold forefront for the distress the album so accurately portrays.

RIYL: We Are Scientists, Kaiser Chiefs, The Bravery
Recommended: 2, 4, 9